The present invention related generally to gas turbine engines, and more particularly to mechanisms for coupling turbine exhaust ducts to liners.
Gas turbine engines operate at high temperatures and pressures, necessitating structures that can operate under extreme conditions. For example, in the exhaust section of a gas turbine engine, high temperature exhaust gases are often vented through a shaped liner. The liner section is typically made of a material capable of enduring high temperatures, and often incorporates cooling features such as effusion holes or slots. Nonetheless, such liners often heat to several hundred degrees above ambient conditions, and can deform due to thermal expansion and pressure loads.
As such, the liner has typically been separated from structural components surrounding it using fasteners. These structural components may, in combination with the liner, form a cooling air plenum. Fasteners pass through cooling air plena to connect liners to structural components.
Two known fasteners, disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 61/764,785 (filed 14 Feb. 2013) and commonly-assigned U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 61/766,444 (filed 19 Feb. 2013), incorporate T-bar fasteners with shaft and crossbar portions. The shaft portion of the T-bar passes through an aperture in a first spaced component, and the crossbar portion of the T-bar is arranged adjacent to a second spaced component. A bracket is coupled to the second spaced component to capture the T-bar.